Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an essential oxygen metabolite and serves as a messenger in cellular signal pathways that are necessary for the growth, development and fitness of living organisms. H2O2 is one of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is also a precursor of highly toxic ROS such as hydroxyl radical, peroxinitrite and hypochloride. A large body of evidence indicates that accumulation of H2O2 causes oxidative stress and inflammation events, which are highly correlated with the onset and development of various pathological conditions such as cancer, diabetic, cardiovascular diseases and ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. I/R injuries are seen in a variety of clinical conditions, such as acute coronary syndrome, hepatic and renal ischemic insults, cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and vascular thromboembolic events. Reperfusion of blood flow in ischemic tissues induces a large generation of H2O2 which is the most abundant form of the ROS in I/R injury and causes oxidative stress and cellular damages, further exacerbating tissue damages. Thus, H2O2 is an attractive target of oxidative stress-associated diseases and targeted therapy directed to the site of I/R injury, which is characterized by high concentration of H2O2 production, will offer significant advantages over a generalized, antioxidant therapy.
4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) is one of major active components of Gastrodia elata, a widely used herbal agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and convulsive disorders in Asia. HBA exerts anti-oxidant activities and plays a protective role against oxidative stress-related diseases such as coronary heart diseases and ischemic brain injury. HBA is also a powerful scavenger of hydroxyl radical and superoxide due to its phenolic hydroxyl group. There has been interest in the use of HBA as an anti-oxidant and therapeutic agent, but HBA is unable to scavenge H2O2 and has a short blood circulation time, limiting its clinical applications.
There is a need in the art to develop novel compounds that are useful in treating or preventing oxidative stress injury in a subject. Such compounds would be useful in treating or preventing ROS-derived oxidative stress and/or inflammation in the subject.